Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho has left Manchester City for Leicester City, bolstering their forward line by penning a deal until 2022.
The 20-year-old has penned a five-year contract at the King Power Stadium for an undisclosed fee, with reports suggesting the Foxes have forked out £25-million for the Nigeria striker.
City are also thought to have insisted upon a buy-back clause for Iheanacho, who is considered to be one of the brightest striking prospects in football, but was unlikely to have received the regular football he craved at the Etihad Stadium.
Speaking to Leicester’s official website, Iheanacho said: “It feels good and I’m happy to be part of this team.
“I know the ambition of the team and speaking with the manager, he let me know what I need to do – to help the team achieve what they want. I was convinced and I’m happy to be here.
“I was happy speaking with the manager, knowing what the team wants. It gives me more confidence that I will fit in this team and hopefully I’ll achieve a lot.”
Iheanacho burst his way into City’s first team in August 2017 at just 18 years of age, making his debut in a 2-0 win over Watford.
Since then, he has scored 12 Premier League goals in 46 appearances and 21 in 64 across all competitions.
At City, Iheanacho was already behind Sergio Aguero in the pecking order, and the arrival of Gabriel Jesus from Palmeiras in January knocked him further down.
That led to speculation of a close-season move, with West Ham also having been linked with a move for his services.
However, it was Leicester that soon emerged as favourites for his signature, and manager Craig Sheakespeare was delighted to land his man.
“It’s a great signing for us. Kelechi is an enormously talented player that has shown a huge amount of promise at every level in which he’s played,” he said.
“We’ve tracked his progress for some time, so we know how much quality he’ll bring to the squad. He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s ready for the next stage of his development and I’m delighted that will be with Leicester City.”
Iheanacho joins Vicente Iborra, Eldin Jakupovic and Harry Maguire in making the move to Leicester during the close-season.
Leicester begin the new Premier League season with a trip to Arsenal on 11 August.